Five killed in PKK attack in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Five people were killed in twin attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the Turkish province of Hakkari, the provincial governor said late Sunday.

"Five people were killed in the attack, including a policeman, a gendarme and three civilians," provincial Gov. Muammer Turker was quoted by Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman as saying. "Ten people, including seven gendarmes, were injured."

The governor added that the Turkish military had dispatched Cobra attack helicopters to launch attacks on hideouts belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Special operations teams were on the ground aiding in the hunt, he added.

Human rights groups have warned of the civilian toll on the ongoing battle against Kurdish militants in the region. Washington had called for restraint but recognized Ankara had a right to defend itself from terrorist attacks.

Washington is said to be considering a request from Ankara for unmanned attack drones for use in the fight against the PKK, The Washington Post reported last weekend.

No decision has been made, though the U.S. military in Iraq had shared intelligence about PKK activity in Iraq with Ankara in the past.

The PKK was blamed for killing eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard in an August ambush in Hakkari.